Emo (slang)
Emo (from emotional) is a slang expression used to describe a range of fashion styles and attitudes somewhat affiliated with emo music and its related scenes. The word "emo" may be used as a noun to identify a member of the emo scene, as an adjective to describe a certain style of fashion or music, or even to describe a state of feeling unhappiness, loneliness, depression or melancholy (to feel "emo").
Fashion and culture
There are two popular forms of dress associated with emo. The first is essentially what came out of the 90s "indie emo" scene, and has connections to indie rock and punk rock. It includes more vintage and thrift store clothing, typically for a well-worn look. Some of the clothing leans toward khaki colors. T-shirts are typically of smaller sizes and with random prints, often images from the 1980s. Bags and backpacks often have pins and patches of various bands.
The other popular style of dress focuses on darker colors. Commonly seen elements include dark colored hair, dyed either black, red, multi-colored (brown and black, red and purple, etc.), or an unnatural dark hue, males wearing pants tailored for females, lip, eyebrow, and labret piercings, and dark make-up on males and females (most notably black eyeliner, although red eyeshadow is becoming increasingly popular). A common accessory for both males and females are glasses with a dark coloured (usually black), thick rim, a style sometimes even worn by persons who do not require corrective eye-wear. A piece of hair that hangs over the forehead is usually known as a patch. It usually obscures the vision of at least one eye.
Converse All-Star style shoes are common amongst both styles of dress, as are Vans shoes.
While "emo" is often used to describe the dress and attitudes of fans of emo music, it should be noted that "emo" as a musical genre and "emo" as a slang term are largely separate. "Emo" as a musical genre long pre-dated the use of "emo" as a slang term. At the same time, most current bands labeled "emo" are done so unwillingly, and largely because they share some of the fashion trends and attitude associated with "emo" as a slang term.
There is also a common stereotype that associates "emo" with self-harm, most notably cutting wrists, possibly due to song lyrics associated with so-called "emo" bands, which often speak of acts of self-destruction. However, apart from the anecdotal, there is no significant evidence of any correlation between emo and self-harm.
Alternative uses
The term "emo" has also been used in recent years on the Internet as a form of derogatory insult, especially toward those who appear emotionally unstable, or those who talk about issues in their lives to people in public forums or chat rooms. Similar to popular curses, it tends to be used as a general insult even when it is not directly applicable. Phrases such as "cheer up, emo kid" are used frequently as a quick brush-off in this context. Some use the term "emo" to describe a feeling of depression, harking back to the association of depression with the "emo" subculture.